The Scimitar 16 Oct 2018

BNSC NEWSLETTER

Hi there to everyone

Although this past weekend was a complete hash as far organised sport was concerned…..as the earth around Gauteng was welcoming with relief the first rains of summer…and how magic it is….the ground is soft underfoot…plants have literally grown new shoots overnight, the grass is a shade greener…the trees foliage appears to be thicker….it is amazing what the nitrates in the rain do for Mother Nature….we can water our grounds for weeks and months on end, but it does not have the same effect as the day of rain we experienced over the weekend….our grounds are now starting to look fantastic again….and summer has begun in earnest…

Due to the rain…..the weekend was very quiet at the Club….but some traditional fare was still enjoyed by everyone….by Friday we had no inkling of the inclement weather that awaited us….so the atmosphere at the Club was jovial and upbeat…. We have still not found a winner for either of the Members draws…but the raffles are still proving to be popular, with Kelly winning the beer and Jamela the meat voucher…and onto the Joker Draw….this part of the evening is always exciting for me…it is lovely to see the expectation growing…the main bar seems to fill up as the appointed time arrives and there is a buzz of anticipation….everyone is hoping it is their name to be called out…..and when it does happen they are so surprised and nervous….This week, Marge Mellis (our caterer) was the lucky name to be called…..Marge has been asking me whether I specifically remove her name from the box, as it was so long since she last got a chance….but this week Marge had her name drawn from the beeeeg black box….she promptly called for the ladder to allow her to inspect the top of the cabinet too….and proceeded to look at the board to make her selection…..left to right she scanned…then moved her gaze from top to bottom….and made her selection…on the extreme right, pretty well centred…..which when turned over was the 5 of hearts… Marge’s face displayed her disappointment..(I think possibly she had already begun spending the money!!) …but the crowd, as always, joined into the spontaneous applause and song that always breaks out after an unsuccessful joker selection….so another week gone….20 cards are now displayed….meaning that there are now only 33 face down….and the jackpot just keeps on escalating… we are now up to R83679 for this week….we are starting to get to the interesting time of the draw…so please pop along this week and try your luck….it is only R5 for a chance to win that jackpot….the more tickets you buy the better your chances are of being drawn…

Later in the evening, the budding artists arrived to showcase their talent, as Karaoke was the order of the evening….and there were some talented….some not so talented….and some downright awful contributions….I have vowed not to name and shame….for the fear of being lynched….and despite the off key and rhythmless contributions….a great evening of fun was has in the Scimitar….which we will have to repeat at a later stage in the year again….

This week we welcome Coyote….a couple of old favourites back to the North….I think these two are possibly the longest standing of our Friday night artists that we have hosted at the Club and they return this week….Martin and Billy will be entertaining us in the Scimitar from about 6.30ish on Friday…so join us then and have a great beginning to your weekend….

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to be at the Legends fund raiser….and what a great evening of laughter and fun it was… I am sure that everyone left with bigger smiles than they arrived with….and some really good cash flow was generated from the evening…thanks guys….it really was barrels of fun…

Saturday started off cool and gloomy and the weather did not really improve at all…. the Club cricket started and was washed out after a few overs….and even caused the international match on Sunday between SA and Zim to be abandoned without a ball being bowled…

Our Soccer Colts started their cup final and played out one half in atrocious conditions only for the referee to call off proceedings at half time….

All the other cup finals were all called off before kick-off….and they have been rescheduled for this weekend (weather permitting, of course)….times for these matches are still to be confirmed…so please check on our web site or Facebook page for the new playing times…these which will be published as soon as these are confirmed…

Saturday also sees both the Soccer Sections having their prize giving….Both the Juniors and Seniors will be rewarding their achievers…both on and off the field….the timing of which will be slightly disrupted by the changes in time to the various Cup Finals…but hopefully the disruptions will be worthwhile…and all of our finalists are able to bring home the silverware…

Our cricketers are in full swing at the moment with their season only being a couple of weeks old…so enthusiasm is still high amongst all the players….good luck to all the sides for this week…

Our senior baseballers are back from their tour in the Eastern Cape…and it looks like they live by the rule….what goes on tour stays on tour….so our esteemed journalist decided not to push the point when he was given a terse “no comment”…

Both Junior Baseball and Senior Softball will be back on the diamonds this weekend at the North…to all the sides…have a ball…enjoy yourselves and have fun….

Our annual Rowlin night race will again be hosted at the North on Wednesday 31st October…. the normal offerings of a 5km fun run with 10 and 15km races being offered…this promises to be a super evening of family fun….I have participated in a few of the 5km fun runs….and there is always a cascade of colour with everyone clambering to have the most unique offering of glowing costumes, prams, wheelchairs, you name it…it is emblazoned with colourful glow sticks of varying hues….the atmosphere is most relaxed and it is a pleasure to participate in this spectrum of varying shades festival…. please feel free to showcase your talents and exhibit your natural flair with glow sticks at this annual fun event…

The hockey fives competition was also disrupted by the rain on the weekend…with only a handful of matches being completed…but we are hoping for the full compliment to be on show this Sunday…so please come along and watch this exciting brand of hockey which is now being played….matches start early on Sunday morning and continue throughout the day.

That is it for this week…I’m going to sign off with my normal request that you contact me what you think of how we’re doing things….whether we need complaints or compliments…please send them to me on rod.scheepers@gmail.com

Cheers Rod

Marge Mellis from the Kitchen drew the 5 of Hearts. Joker Draw a turnover at R83679.00 for Friday 19th October. Be present to win it !!!

“COYOTE” WILL BE ENTERTAINING US COME AND JOIN THE FUN from 18h00 on Friday 19th October.

ATHLETICS

Entries for #Comrades2019 to open on Friday, 19 October 2018. Watch this space!ComradesMarathon Marketing Manager, Thami Vilakazi said, ‘We are pleased to announce the opening date for entries for the 2019 event. More details to follow once we launch the 94th Comrades a week before entry opening.’

The wait is almost over! 2019 OMTOM Ultra Marathon entries open on 1 November 2018. Get ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world’s most beautiful marathon.

BASEBALL

Always a pleasure to represent the green and gold ⚾️🔥 Words from our very own Rowen Ebersohn